Skip to:

Main Content

Site Navigation

Site Footer

Site Search

Site Map

Network Navigation (other sites)

Network Links

news.com.au

FOXSPORTS

Newspapers

CareerOne

Carsguide

TrueLocal

RealEstate

Myspace AU

Herald Sun

News

Sport

AFL

NRL

Grand Prix 2011

Racing

Soccer

Cricket

Rugby Union

Golf

Motor Racing

Tennis

Netball

World Games

More sports

Entertainment

Confidential

Arts

Fashion

Movies

Music

TV & Radio

Events

Games

Business

Breaking News

Markets

Dollar

Business Smarts

Entrepreneur

Terry McCrann's Column

Barefoot Investor

In The Black

Your Hip Pocket

Archive

Money

Banking

Money Matters

Superannuation

Investing

Interest Rates

Guides & Tools

Blogs

Travel

Travel News

Australia

World

Holiday Ideas

Holiday Deals

Activities

Travel Advice

Galleries

Lifestyle

Tech

Health/Science

Sunday Food

Horoscopes

The Other Side

Competitions

Corinella

Fishing

Books

Opinion

Editorials

Readers' Comments

Send a Letter to the Editor

Video

Tributes

Shop

Photo Sales

Herald Sun Cartoons & Caricatures

Full-page Reproductions

Memorabilia & Limited Editions

Books & DVDs

Magazines & Publications

body+soul

body+soul

Feel better

Look good

Lose weight

Win stuff

CARS

carsGuide

Buy A Car

Sell Your Car

Car News & Reviews

Petrol Prices

JOBS

careerone.com.au

Job Search

Employment News

Salary Calculator

Advertise your Job

CLASSIFIEDS

Sell your car from $30, in print and online

Real Estate

Business Directory

GetPrice Shopping

Wego Travel Deals

Search Listings

Place an Ad

NEWS NETWORK

news.com.au

The Australian

thetelegraph.com.au

The Courier-Mail

Herald Sun

AdelaideNow

PerthNow

body+soul

NT News

Townsville Bulletin

Cairns.com.au

Goldcoast.com.au

The Mercury

Geelong Advertiser

The Weekly Times

Community News

Breaking News

Victoria and National

World

Learn

Special Reports

Sunday Herald Sun

Pictures

Celebrations

Archives

Home Delivery

Last Updated: June 17, 2011

Search for:

Weather: Melbourne 8°C - 15°C . Few showers.

Victorian cave diver Agnes Milowka's body found in Tank Cave, Mount Gambier

Doug Robertson, Ken McGregor

From: AdelaideNow

March 01, 2011 12:00AM

Increase Text Size

Decrease Text Size

Print

Email

Share

Add to Digg

Add to del.icio.us

Add to Facebook

Add to Kwoff

Add to Myspace

Add to Newsvine

What are these?

Video

Image

Cave diver tragedy

Expert diver Agnes Milowka says she knew her chosen sport was potentially deadly, but says her adventurous spirit drove her to the extremes.

Agnes Milowka died doing what she loved best. Photo: Neil Vincent Source: Supplied

Relatives at the scene near Millicent where emergency crews worked through the night in their attempts to recover Agnes Milowka's body from the Tank Cave underground system. Picture: Brenton Edwards Source: AdelaideNow

Divers and emergency services workers gather at Tank Cave. Picture: Lechelle Earl Source: The Advertiser

Agnes Milowka's death has come as a shock to the small cave diving community. Source: AdelaideNow

< Prev

of 4

Next >

Agnes Milowka, who died in one of Australia's biggest network of underground caves, was a passionate advocate of the dangerous sport. Picture: Agnes Mikowla website Source: Supplied

UPDATE 5.50pm: WORLD renowned cave diver Agnes Milowka ran out of air and suffocated after becoming disorientated, says a fellow diver who has seen her body.

Dr Richard Harris, a close friend of 29-year-old Ms Milowka, is part of the retrieval team which has been trying to clear the way for police divers to pull her body from Tank Cave, near Mount Gambier.

Dr Harris, who has seen Ms Milowka's body submerged in 20m of water about 550m from the cave entrance, says she did not become trapped before her death.

Map: The Tank Cave labyrinth

"It looks like she has remained very calm right to the very last breath while she has been working to extricate herself," he says.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

Related Coverage

Video: Agnes Milowka says she knew the risks

Chilling account: Cold, lonely and loving it

Underground labyrinth: Map of the Tank Cave system

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

"When you are in a very narrow part of a cave, visibility turns to zero very quickly."

He says Ms Milowka was an "aggressive diver" who was on the cutting edge of her sport.

"She can't turn very quickly, she can't see anything and she has been unable to work out the way to get out of the cave and she has run out of air," he said.

An expert cave diver who had mastered Tank Cave many times, Ms Milowka became separated from her diving "buddy" before being reported missing about 1.45pm on Sunday.

Her friends and fellow expert cave divers have been working non-stop since then to recover her body.

Divers recorded a video of the path to Ms Milowka yesterday, which convinced experts that it was possible to retrieve the body.

Rescuers have discounted thoughts of drilling through about 15m of earth above Ms Milowka to recover the body.

The Polish-born woman had recently worked as a stunt diver for James Cameron's new blockbuster Sanctum 3D, which is now showing across Australia.

The movie centres on a group of cave divers who are pushed to the limit when an expedition goes tragically wrong.

It was dedicated to Wes Skiles, a diving legend and close friend of Ms Milowka, who died accidentally last year.

It was just one of the many ironies surrounding Ms Milowka's death.

Her passion to explore some of the last undiscovered places on Earth took her to exotic underwater caves, from Tasmania to the Bahamas.

It also led her to her death at Tank Cave, just kilometres away from where her love affair with diving began.

The Flinders University graduate was drawn into the world of cave diving after seeing a hole at the bottom of Piccaninnie Ponds, near Mt Gambier, in 2004.

The Tank Cave network, where she died on Sunday evening, is just kilometres away from Piccaninnie Ponds

Cave diving in tank cave near Millicent, South Australia

Tank Cave D Tunnel from Richard Harris on Vimeo.

View Larger Map

Increase Text Size

Decrease Text Size

Print

Email

Share

Add to Digg

Add to del.icio.us

Add to Facebook

Add to Kwoff

Add to Myspace

Add to Newsvine

What are these?

Back to top of page

Have your say

Skip to:

Read comments

Add comments

Add your comment on this story

Comments Form

Enter your comment here *
1200 characters left

Your details

Full name (will appear on site) *

Email Address *

Location (optional)

Post Options

Remember my details

Email me if my comment is published

Submit

More News

Mum killed child in 'tragic case'

2:40PM AAP A WOMAN who drowned her young daughter and tried to kill herself deserves sympathy, a Sydney judge says.

Woman crushed and trampled by horse

10:55AM Shannon Deery A WOMAN is recovering in hospital after she was trampled by a horse on a rural property north of Melbourne.

Richmond: Traffic delays expected after blaze

Teenager: Police tracing missing girl's tracks

Princes Freeway: Pedestrian hit by car on freeway

Malaysia: Gillard stands firm on her own

Tough times: Flood-ravaged town in medical crisis

Teenager: Police tracing missing girl's tracks

Tense meeting : I don't want top job, says Rudd

Victoria and National

The Other Side

Woman finds garbage in father's remains

7:16AM DAUGHTER found ballpoint-pen springs, glass shards, and a half-melted crucifix her dad didn't even own in his ashes.

Uppsala: Worthless painting sold for more than $1m

WATCH NOW: Lioness tries to eat baby

Wednesday: Move over hump day, roll on hump night

Sweet deal: KFC diabetes deal raises online eyebrows

More wacky news

Most Popular Stories

World's media gets stuck into Karl

Brown hurts knee on Arizona hike

AFL teams Round 13

Aussie playmate to console Hef

Revealed: Carlton's lethal weapon

Top News

Jail for 'reckless murder'

1:36PM Mark Dunn A DRUNK and drugged woman who bashed to death a legally blind man in a daylight street attack has been jailed.

29 comments on this story

Teenager groomed: Teacher jailed for student sex

Sydney: Mum killed child in 'tragic case'

Visa breach: Sex monster to be deported

Final salute: Service held for fallen digger

Ombudsman's report: Lay vows to repair the rift

More News

Entertainment

Bert Newton 'in hospital with pneumonia'

2:58PM Staff Writers AUSSIE TV legend Bert Newton is in hospital with pneumonia, sources say.

8 comments on this story

Winter Masterpieces: Vienna's magic falls on NGV

New York: Mad Men actress 'burst into flames'

Smelly: Gaga's meat dress returns

Vampire style: Bella's wedding dress designer revealed

More Entertainment

Sport

Tiger still tops rich list

4:11PM NewsCore TIGER Woods, despite his mediocre play, injuries and lost endorsements, is still the No. 1 paid sportsman in the US.

Wimbledon hope: Hewitt makes late bid for fitness

$40 million deal: US beer giant wins FA Cup

Super Rugby: Yoda to bow out fighting

Sports Fix: Aussie women scorch Euro grass

More Sport

Breaking News

Plotted to kill husband 'to get on TV'

4:06PM A SOUTH Florida newlywed who plotted to have her husband of just six months killed was Thursday sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Smuggler acted from necessity, court hears

Five more NSW areas disaster declared

Tiger Woods still highest paid sportsman

TV legend Bert Newton hospitalised

More Breaking News

Mobile

RSS Feeds

Newsletters

Send Stories

Send Your Photos

Help

About Us

Contact Us

Get your Newspaper Delivered

Advertise with us

Link to Us

Cadetship

Job Opportunities

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Sitemap

© Herald and Weekly Times. All times AEST (GMT +10)